Morning in Verona
by Rosepixie
Summary: A series of very short stories about characters from Romeo and Juliet in the morning. There is very little plot, but it is safe to assume that the stories all take place on the same morning, so small connections may become evident. I have no current plans to expand any of these into longer stories, but may continue to add more of them over time.
1. Juliet

Her Nurse bustled around Juliet, arranging how her skirts fell on the pedestal. Behind the Nurse was her father, in his most formal Lord Capulet regalia for court, shouting orders. She was up on the pedestal where the statue of the Virgin stood in the church. She could look across the nave, over the tops of the pews.

Across the cavernous space was a niche and pedestal exactly like the one she stood on. Standing atop it was a boy dressed in blue, but she couldn't see his face clearly enough to know who he was. People were fluttering around him as well.

Juliet sagged a bit in the heavy, crimson velvet gown and her mother's voice snapped at her from somewhere she couldn't see instructing her to stand up straight. She tried to straighten her shoulders, her spine, but the dress was so heavy. She couldn't remember ever having worn so heavy a gown. She could feel the fabric getting heavier and heavier, pulling her down to her knees. Nurse clucked disapprovingly and Juliet could hear her mother getting angry. No matter how she struggled, though, the gown simply kept pulling her down until she was prostrate on her pillar.

Somehow, the weight of the dress was even making her eyelids heavy. She tried to focus on the pool of blood-red velvet around her, but it was too hard. The last thing she saw before her eyes were pulled closed was her father frowning at her from where he stood in all his lordly splendor.

- WS - WS - WS -

On the bed she had slept in since childhood, Juliet lay perfectly still, a potion bottle still clutched in her hand. As the sun rose outside her window, she dreamed on completely unaware of the chaos boiling all around her and the sorrowful wails ringing through the manor.


	2. Romeo

Romeo looked out over fields of gold edged in pink from the rising dawn and sighed. He had been unable to sleep and feared he might never sleep again. Indeed, how could he bring himself to sleep knowing that when he woke she still would not be there? Now that he knew the honey sweetness of waking in her arms, how could he ever bear to allow himself to wake without her?

His servant stirred in the corner of the room where he had made himself a makeshift bed. Poor Balthazar, whose only fault was loving his master too well to allow him to travel alone. He deserved a better fate than to watch his master pine away to nothing for loss of his wife.

Thoughts of her sent his mind reeling again. He would never again see her cherry lips smile or laugh, never run his fingers through the silk of her hair. What would happen to her without him to care for her? Would her father throw her out? But he didn't know, so why would he turn on his daughter? Would he marry her to another? To County Paris? No! The very thought of another touching her white skin made him reel away from the window.

"Oh! Heaven is too cruel!" Romeo cried, throwing himself onto the bed he had refused to sleep in only a few hours ago.

With a sigh, Balthazar headed for the door.

"I will fetch fresh water for you to wash in, my lord," he said before shutting the door.

Romeo didn't hear, though. He was too busy torturing himself with the knowledge that he had certainly doomed his fair Juliet and himself to notice something as mundane as a servant leaving the room.


	3. Lord Capulet

Lord Capulet turned over in his large bed. His only daughter was to marry today and he should be happy, but he could not dismiss a distressing sense of unease. He had expected Juliet to be pleased with the highly desirable match that he had arranged for her, but she had not been. She had eventually agreed to the wedding, but her initial resistance had been so steadfast that he suspect that she was still unhappy about it.

Unable to sleep, he climbed out of bed and walked over to gaze out the window at the pretty walled garden that surrounded his house. His first thought when Paris had approached him about Juliet's hand was that she was yet too young to marry. His wife had assured him that she was not, but her display of temper yesterday made him wonder if his initial impulse had been correct.

Regardless, it was far too late now to change his mind. County Paris would arrive soon to escort his bride to church and to call off the wedding this late would cause a great deal of trouble of the kind he wasn't certain he could extract the family from. Juliet had finally agreed, and she was generally a very obedient girl, so he saw no reason to believe that she would be anything less than cooperative. All would be well.

Capulet's manservant came in to help him wash and dress. Given the occasion, he was arrayed in the heavy, crimson velvet finery that marked him as master of the Capulet lands and title. Jewels were pinned to his sash and a fancy ceremonial rapier was belted at his hip. His locks were arranged and powdered as if for court and his skin was heavily perfumed. He looked fine indeed when the page arrived.

"My lord," the boy announced with a low bow, "His Grace, the County Paris, has arrived. He asks your leave to lead the Lady Juliet to church."

"Of course," Capulet replied commandingly. "Let us fetch my daughter, that she may greet her bridegroom."

Lord Capulet and his retinue were nearly to Juliet's chamber door when the screams and wailing reached their ears.


	4. Juliet's Nurse

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when she roused herself. So much had happened in the last few days and the Nurse wasn't as young as she once had been. Today would be busy as well, but after today she could rest.

With a sigh, Juliet's Nurse heaved her tired body out of bed and hobbled over to her small washstand. Leaning over the basin, she splashed the slightly stale water over her face. She could wash again in fresh water after Juliet was bathed and dressed in her bridal gown, but it was folly to wash properly before then.

In truth, she was surprised that young Juliet had gone along with the wedding plans with so little fuss. She had advised the girl thus, and she still believed that it was the wisest course, but that didn't stop the little thread of doubt. Was she putting Juliet's soul at risk with this advice? But then, what good is protecting the soul if the child faced only misery either way? At least with County Paris she would live in comfort and may come to realize how fragile young romance really was. The Nurse harbored serious doubts about the strength of Romeo's love and feared that, even had Juliet stayed true to him, he would have betrayed her.

Squaring her shoulders and smoothing her sleep-wrinkled skirt, the Nurse set out to wake her young charge for the last time. She may not be able to protect Juliet's heart, but should could send her to her new husband in all the splendor that Lord Capulet's daughter deserved.


	5. Paris

It was to be his wedding day. It had come sooner than he had ever dared to hope for. Her father said that moving up the date had been her idea as well, which gave him hope that she had begun to look favorably on his suit. Her feelings on the matter didn't affect it at all, but he should prefer she welcome her new role as his wife just the same.

Normally Paris dressed and went downstairs to eat, but in honor of the day his valet had brought his breakfast to his chambers on a tray. He knew that his staff was looking forward to his marriage. Since his sister's wedding a month before they had been without a mistress to properly direct the household.

As he ate slowly and watched his valet prepare his wedding clothes Paris considered his choice of bride. She was certainly a beautiful child and her gentle breeding was evident in every move she made, but she was also so very young. He wished to marry her as soon as possible to secure her fortune and the support of her family for his ambitions, but was it a mistake to give a girl so young command of his estate? Some of his fellows had brids equally young, but they had mothers still living to entrust their wives to. Those mothers had run their households for years and were uniquely suited to guiding the young brides in their new duties as noble wives and mistresses of wealthy households. He brushed away his worries, reasoning with himself that his prospective bride had been prepared for this role since birth and her mother would never send her to her husband entirely without assistance. All would be well.

His breakfast finished and the tray set aside, Paris allowed his valet to make him ready for his wedding.

Finally, feeling exceedingly pleased with his success in securing Lady Juliet Capulet's hand, he set off to fetch her to church in order to have the union solemnified by God. Everything was falling perfectly into place and he saw nothing but the brightest future stretching out ahead of him.


End file.
